Garbage disposal device



Jan. 24, 1956 e. B. LONG 2,732,135

GARBAGE DISPOSAL DEVICE Filed Sept. 28, 1954 so 36 35 32 36 1' 34 Z TF/2 T/ S J 70 MM. ,44 66 I 46 I v Fig. 3

Fig. 4

INVENTOR.

George 8. Long BY Attorney 2,732,135 1C6 Patented Jan.-24, 19562,132,135 H GARBAGE DISPOSAL IDEVICE Application September 28, 1954,Serial No. 458,731

4 Claims. (Cl. 241-46) This application is a continuation-in-part of mycopending applications S. N. 329,970 filed January 7, 1953, and S. N.422,644 filed April 12, 1954.

This invention relates to-a domestic appliance and more particularly togarbage disposal units.

One of the more serious difficulties with garbage dis posal units is thepossibility of jamming the impeller. Another 'difliculty -is the factthat the garbage disposer must be flushed during the grinding operationto avoid clogging and jamming.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple inexpensive garbagedisposer which will not jam or clog and which will not grind thematerial unless it is being flushed with liquid. I

It is another object of my invention to provide a garbage disposer withan impeller arrangement which will rotate freely when no liquid is beingflushed through the disposer and which will not cut or grind the garbageunless liquid is present and the impeller is operating above apredetermined speed.

These and other objects are substantially attained in the form shown byproviding an impeller having one or more vanes which are lifted byreaction with liquid when they are revolved within the cutting chamberwith liquid flowing through and out of the cutting chamber.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a faucet, sink, garbage disposer anddrain;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the garbagedisposer disclosed in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines 33 ofFigure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2 but with the impellerturned 90 and shown in elevation;

and

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 4 but showing the vane inelevated position.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1 there isshown a sink provided with a faucet 22 and an outlet 24 to which isconnected the garbage disposal unit 26. This garbage disposal unit 26 isadapted to discharge through a trapped drain connection 28.

The garbage disposer 26 includes upper walls 30 in the shape of atruncated hollow cone enclosing a cutting chamber 32. The bottom portionof the cutting chamber 32 is provided with a shredder ring 34 preferablyof suitably hardened stainless steel or cast stainless alloy. Theshredder ring 34 is provided wiht four sharp edged groups of projections36 composed of widetrapezoidal projections arranged one upon the otherin a manner similar to lap siding excepting that they are arranged inthe reverse direction. These groups 36 are staggered vertically toprevent any grooving action. They have ground surfaces with sharpcutting edges which protrude inwardly from the inner wall surfaces ofthe shredder ring 34.

concentrically located within the bottom portion of the shredder ring34. is the impeller 38 threaded onto and fastened to the top of thedrive shaft 40 of an electric motor 42. The cutting chamber 32 isseparated from the motor 42 by atransverse Wall 44 containing the ballbearing 46 and a running shaft seal 48 for the drive shaft 40.

Upon opposite sides of the impeller 38 there are provided .the pivotedappearing and disappearing identical vanes 50 and 52. The vane 50 ispivoted upon the screw 54 to the impeller 38 while the vane 52 ispivoted upon the screw 56 to the impeller 38. As shown in Figure 4 thevanes 50 and 52 are generally semicircular and on their right half areprovided with three radially extending projections 58, 60 and 62. Theimpeller 38 is provided with a stop surface 64 against which rests theportion of the vane 50 nearest the projection 52 when the vane is heldsolely by gravity as shown in Figure 4. This position is due to the factthat the vane 50 is substantially semicircular and naturally will underthe force of gravity alone tend to assume the position wherein themid-portion of the vane hangs downwardly. In this position, theprojection 68 disappears beneath the top of the impeller 38 so that itcannot engage any garbage within the chamber 32. The impeller 38 'thenrevolves freely without any cutting action. The projections 58, 60 and62 are adapted to extend intoa groove 66 in the transverse Wall 44extending between the motor 42 and the cutting chamber 32.

The disposer 26 is designed to be operated with the faucet 22 turned on.This causes water to flow from the faucet 22 into the sink 20 anddownwardly through the opening 24 into the cutting chamber 32. This flowof water carries the ground material down to the impeller 38 and outthrough the space between the impeller 38 and the adjacent portion ofthe shredder ring 34. This water and ground material fills the groove66. The rotation of the impeller 38 by the motor 42 when the water orother liquid is flowing through the disposer causes the groove 66 to bekept substantially full of liquid. When the motor 42 rotates the shaft40 and the impeller 38, the projections 58, 60 and 62 will be dragged ina counterclockwise direction through the groove 66 and will react withthe liquid in the groove 66. This will cause the projecting portion 68of the vane 50 and a similar portion of the vane 52 to be carriedupwardly by the reaction to the appearing or projected position shown inFigure 5. In this position, the portion 68 projects upwardly through arecess in the edge portion of the impeller 38 and will engage anygarbage material in the bottom of the grinding chamber 32 and carry thisgarbage material around into contact with the cutting edges on theshredder ring 34 to grind the material sutficiently fine to have it becarried to the drain by the water which is being flushed through thedisposer. The groove 66 discharges into a laterally extending outlet 70which connects to the trap connection extending to the drain.

By this arrangement no cutting can take place until there is acontinuous supply of flushing liquid or other material in the groove 66since liquid is required to lift the vanes 50 and 52. This automaticallyassures that there will be no cutting action in the event that the userfails to open the faucet 22 to supply the required flushing liquid forcarrying away the ground material through and out of the disposer 30.The vanes 50 and 52 disappear as shown in Figure 4 before the impeller38 stops at the end of an operating cycle and do not reappear until thespeed of rotation is sufiicient to cause a reaction with the contents ofthe groove 66 so that the vanes 50 and 52 are projected upwardly asshown in Figure 5.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein-disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adsorbed, as may come within the scope of the claims whichfollow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Comminuting apparatus including metal walls provided with cuttingedges enclosing a cutting chamber, an impeller located in the bottomportion of said cut ting chamber, a transverse wall forming the bottomof said cutting chamber, said transverse wall being provided with anannular groove concentric with said impeller and an outlet from saidgroove, a motor connected t to said impeller for rotating the impeller,said impeller being provided with a movable appearing and disappear ingvane, said vane being provided with a lifting projection extending intosaid groove for lifting the vane when the impeller rotates and theprojection impinges upon liquid in the groove.

2. Comminuting apparatus including metal walls provided with cuttingedges enclosing a cutting chamber, an impeller located in the bottomportion of said cutting chamber, a transverse wall forming the bottom ofsaid cutting chamber, said transverse wall being provided with anannular groove concentric with said impeller and an outlet from saidgroove, a motor connected to said impeller for rotating the impeller,said impeller being provided with a movable appearing and disappearingvane having an appearing position in which it projects above theimpeller and a disappearing position in which it disappears below thetop surface of the impeller and projects into said groove, said vanebeing provided with a lifting portion projecting into said groove.

3. Comminuting apparatus including metal walls provided with cuttingedges enclosing a cutting chamber, an impeller located in the bottomportion of said cutting chamber, a transverse wall forming the bottom ofsaid cutting chamber, said transverse wall being provided with anannular groove concentric with said impeller and an outlet from saidgroove, a motor connetccd to said impeller for rotating the impeller,said impeller being provided with a movable appearing and disappearingvane, being pivotally connected to said impeller and having a liftingprojection extending into the groove, means for supplying liquid to saidcutting chamber for carrying comminuted material out of the cuttingchamber and for filling said groove to lift said vane when said motoroperates.

Ccmminuting apparatus including metal walls provided with cutting edgesenclosing a cutting chamber, an impeller located in the bottom portionof said cutting chamber, a transverse wall forming the bottom of saidcutting chamber, said transverse Wall being provided with an annulargroove concentric with said impeller and an outlet from said groove, amotor connected to said impeller for rotating the impeller, saidimpeller being provided with a movable appearing and disappearing vane,said vane being pivotally connected to said impeller and having aplurality of spaced radially extending lifting projections extendinginto the groove, means for supplying liquid to said cutting chamber forcarrying cornrninuted material out of the cutting chamber and forfilling said groove to lift said vane when said motor operates.

No references cited.

